Discussion: Why folks must give up their delusions of Superiority Part 6 of 6?
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HOW DO YOU HEAL DELUSION DISORDER?
By Ozodi Thomas Osuji – Delusion disorder results from the belief that one has a separated self from the rest of the universe. In reality all things are connected so that to see ones self as separated from other things is a delusion. Consider that one’s body is a direct result of elements manufactured in stars. One lives by breathing oxygen produced by plants. One eats food that in the main is made of animals’ bodies and plants leaves. One is intertwined with everything in the universe so that to see ones self as separated from other things is a delusion. Belief in ones separateness is the origin of delusion disorder.
The truth is that all things are unified, joined, connected and are one. Where one thing ends and another begins is nowhere. We are in the universe and the universe is in us; we are not separated from anything in the universe yet we believe that we are separated from the rest of the universe, we see ourselves as beginning and ending in our bodies. I am over here and you are over there; space, time and matter separates us; our bodies are boundaries demarcating where we are in space and time. We defend our bodies and if any one comes too close to us we see him as invading our space and attack him. We protect and defend our space (usually a yard around each of us).
The belief that one has a separated self, thinks separated thoughts and is different from other persons is the root of delusion. We are always joined, connected and unified. The truth of our being is union. But we believe in separation. So how do you heal delusion disorder?
Give up your belief that you have a separated self, an ego housed in body. You do not have a separated self-housed in body. You are part of all people and they are part of you. Where you end and other people begin is nowhere.
You cannot separate from the universe; in religious language you cannot separate from God (God is the whole and each of us is a part of that whole). It is simply illogical to believe that one is separated from the whole and its parts. All of us are joined both physically and mentally.
At the unconscious level our minds are joined and know exactly what other minds are thinking (of course we do not know this at the conscious level).
We want to seem separated and invent bodies and house ourselves in bodies. Each of us sees his body as his self and defends it.
(Some of us have never been comfortable with our bodies; we rejected our bodies and yearned for non-bodily self, a spirit self. Life in body was too painful for us to accept body as our true identity; we seek negation of body and escape from the world of matter, space and time. Religions that urge folks to negate their bodies and this world appeal to us. Gnostic religion urges folks to see the world of matter, space and time as not good enough and urges them to return to the world of spirit. Gnosticism is not out to organize this world and make the most of it; it wants to negate this world and run away from it to what it considers a better world, the world of God. Clearly, some persons are comfortable with their bodies and this world and cannot accept the teachings of Gnosticism. Religions that teach acceptance of this world appeal to such persons, to normal persons, not to mystics.)
Society offers people opportunity to define who they are and live it out in the social context and after they are done die and disappear from the world.
How do you heal delusion? Delusion is healed when the individual recognizes that he is not a separated self-housed in body and stops defending his separated ego self and body. This is the ultimate solution to delusion. But this is not going to happen for most people, for most people see themselves as their bodies and defend them. Relinquishment of the ego separated self-concept and the body that houses it is the solution to paranoia, but most people are not yet ready for this ultimate cure for paranoia.
What can we do for such persons? We can teach them about delusion disorder, the defense of what is not real, ego and body, and ask them to moderate their defenses of it but not totally eliminate defense. To live on earth people must see themselves as bodies and egos and defend those. If they gave up their self-concepts and their beliefs in bodies they would die to this world and escape to the world of spirit 9this is what Jesus did: his ego and body was attacked and he did not identify with them and did not defend them hence allowed people to kill him so that he resurrected in unified spirit, our true self.) Not too many people are ready for that solution to the delusion issue. The most they can do is attain normal delusion disorder, normal paranoia.
If we can get the more deluded persons to attain normal paranoia perhaps that is the most that we really can accomplish?
CONCLUSION
Human beings are self-aware animals. They are aware of their finitude. They know that eventually they would die, rot and smell to high heaven. Appraising the valuelessness of their bodies they feel depressed, feel as if they have no existential worth. They then try to give themselves false worth by masquerading around as very important persons.
Paranoia and delusion emanates from the effort to make a worthless physical self-seem to have existential worth.
When individuals accept themselves as they are, without pretensions of importance, they become healthy. To accept one’s self is to love one’s self.
A healthy person loves his self and loves all people in an unconditional manner. It is love for all human beings that give people some worth; the pretended worth they attempt to get from presenting themselves as important merely gives them delusion disorder. Love heals paranoia and all mental disorders.
